


Trials

by Berzerker



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Anal Sex, Canon Bisexual Character, F/F, Lesbian Sex, Lesbian sex before gender affirming surgery, Open Relationships, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:48:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28343406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Berzerker/pseuds/Berzerker
Summary: Force-sensitive Lana Beniko begins her training at the Sith Academy.Based on the short story "The Final Trial" that was published in the developer blog for Star Wars: The Old Republic on March 16, 2015.
Relationships: Kagan/Bensyn, Lana Beniko/Female Jedi Knight | Hero of Tython, Lana Beniko/Kagan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Trials

**Author's Note:**

> I once read a comment where a player said he has never wanted to romance Lana Beniko because he thinks she is too masculine for him. This thought kind of stayed in my head and I wanted to write a piece of fan fiction where Lana is actually a trans woman.

A group of Empire youth was standing nearby a landing pad. They had arrived some time ago and were instructed to wait for Overseer Harkun. There were eight of them. Some were slaves, some were not, mostly human with two Sith Purebloods and a Twi’lek among them. The atmosphere was tense and everyone kept to themselves, eyeing each other warily.

Finally the Overseer arrived. A hateful looking man who only nodded appreciatevely at the Sith Purebloods in their midst, not bothering to conceal his spite towards the rest of them; the Twi’lek, especially.

Harkun spewed insults as he gave a once-over to each of the non Purebloods. However, he briefly stopped in thought as he walked before the last of the human acolytes. One of his eyebrows scrunched as he took in the individual with blonde hair on a tight, short ponytail, sides shaved.

“So, this is the offspring of the Benikos. Don’t expect any special treatment – your mommy and daddy don’t work here, little boy.”

“With all due respect, sir”, the Acolyte answered in a slightly deep, but clearly feminine voice without batting an eye, “I am afraid you have misgendered me.”

A flash of surprise crossed Harkun’s features, gone as soon as it occurred.

“Are you not Alann Beniko”, he demanded angrily.

“ _Lana_ Beniko. My name is Lana Beniko, sir.”

The atmosphere was charged to the point of electric detonation. Everyone was dead silent, holding their breaths as Harkun stared at the new arrival who had managed to throw him off balance, however momentarily, with burning eyes. The acolyte stared back at him.

After a while, Harkun grunted and took a step backwards. He gave one more contemptuous glare at the group in front of him.

“Just to make it abundantly clear – I don’t give a shit about who you are or who you aspire to be, and I will address you useless maggots however I see fit. You’re nothing but vermin who should be thankful to be allowed in my sights at all. Now follow me, we have wasted enough time.”

As she followed behind, Lana let out a small shuddering breath, hands shaking slightly, her heart still pounding painfully in her chest.

It was going to be hell, but she was so proud of herself.

***

Lana wasn’t surprised that Harkun put her in the same quarters with the men. There were two humans, Greck and Roth, a Sith Pureblood, Bensyn, and the Twi’lek Harkun loved to torment, Cinzize. In a room opposite to them were the rest of the women, another Sith Pureblood, Khinea, and two humans, Kagan and Lydith.

The following weeks were harsh. Training was intense, and in addition to that Harkun used every opportunity to taunt and punish them unreasonably. He had mostly left Lana alone for the time being, but she suspected it was partly because of Cinzize and Roth who had Harkun’s constant attention. She despised his bullying, but since she couldn’t really do anything about it, it was rather them than her.

Lana had noticed that Kagan often looked at her when she thought the blonde wouldn’t notice. She wasn’t quite sure what the attention was about, but she suspected it was related to her gender identity. She had long, dark hair, clear blue eyes and the body of a model, and she wasn’t afraid to show it off. Kagan had befriended Bensyn instantly during the very first days – it turned out that the both of them actually belonged to the slave caste and appeared to have a lot in common despite being a Sith Pureblood and a human.

One day they were sitting in the cantina after a particularly exhausting session in Force training. Even Lana had to force herself not to wolf down her supper. She was almost finished with her meal when Kagan approached her.

“Hey, Lana. Is it ok if I accompany you for a moment?”

“Have a seat.” Lana had already calculated several reasons as to what the woman could have wanted from her.

“We haven’t talked much, but you seem like a sensible person, so I just came to say hi, really. I have to say I’m quite impressed at how attuned you are with the Force.”

“I believe you are doing quite nicely yourself, although I have to admit that I have been so concentrated on my own exercises that I have not had the chance to observe others much.”

Kagan blushed a little at the implication.

“Uhm, yes. I…”

Lana lifted an eyebrow at the young woman. She pushed her plate away and drank some water. “You have been keeping your eye on me since we arrived here. Is there something I should know?”

“The truth is… I find you quite intriguing.”

“Intriguing?”

“Yes. The way you held your own when Harkun confronted you the very first day… I’m not so sure I would have been so brave.”

Lana looked thoughtful for a moment, her vivid green eyes on the water bottle she was absently rolling in her hand.

“My family has taught me that if I do not demand some basic human decency myself, no one is going to offer it to me.”

“Oh.”

Kagan looked a bit conflicted, not sure what to make of Lana’s answer.

“Well, I would still be cleaning freight ships had Force not manifested itself in me. I’m not sure which is better, but I do like the idea of having this gift that can grant me power, allowing me to be more than a slave one day.”

Lana smiled. She could sense the girl was genuine, even if there obviously was a bit more to her curiosity.

“Um, I don’t mean to be intrusive…”

_Here it comes._

“…but have you always known you’re a woman?”

At least she was kind about it.

“I think I would feel more comfortable talking about this somewhere else than the cantina. Let’s go for a little walk, shall we?”

Kagan smiled at her.

***

One evening Lana was just finishing her fencing exercises with her vibrosword, when she saw Roth and Cinzize approach her.

“Is something the matter”, Lana asked, swiping sweat from her brow.

“We have been called to Harkun’s office, immediately”, said Roth.

“Oh? Do you have any idea why”, she asked. She had never been to Harkun’s office and she couldn’t think of a reason to go there now.

“He just told that it’s… important”, answered Cinzize.

“I see.”

Lana felt almost insulted. She was too quick-witted not to realize what was happening here; even if she couldn’t use the Force to subtly read their minds. Which she could. She still followed them. By the time they had reached Harkun’s office she had calculated several scenarios in her mind already. She wasn’t surprised to see the office empty as Roth closed the door behind them.

“So, I imagine there is only one way this is going to end,” she said, her clear and steady voice making the men jump a little. “You cannot face Harkun unless you have carried out your task, and I will not allow you to lay a hand on me. It appears we have a conflict of interests.” She spoke calmly, her hands folded in front of her.

The men seemed surprised and glanced at each other. Lana almost felt sorry for them. They were just victims in all this. But more importantly, Lana had decided she was not.

They looked guilty but drew their vibroswords.

“I’m sorry, Lana”, Roth said with quivering voice.

“I am sorry, too”, she said quietly.

***

Lana opened the door to her quarters. Greck wasn’t there. Bensyn looked at her curiously as he was sitting in his bunk, reading an ancient looking tome.

“I’m going to take a shower”, she announced plainly.

Bensyn merely nodded.

Once inside the shower room Lana quickly took off her clothes and spent several minutes under the cascading water. Her training as Sith had truly begun this day as she had taken the very first lives during her journey.

She had often wondered how it would feel. The truth was surprising, for she didn’t feel much anything. She wasn’t magically somehow different a person than she had been an hour ago. If she could have avoided cutting down Roth and Cinzize, she would have, but Harkun had broken their minds and sicced them on her. Their deaths were on him if someone was to blame.

The most important lesson she had learned today was that she was able to defend herself in a real life and death situation, even if her enemy was someone she sympathized with.

After showering Lana stopped by a mirror to look at a long gash over the shoulder of her sword arm, already closed with kolto. She had gotten away with practically nothing.

She briefly studied the rest of her body while in front of the mirror – a life-long habit. Her breasts were small but more prominent each time she took a closer look, a little more roundness also around her slim waist and thighs. Lana wasn’t a big eater and liked to eat healthy food, so it was a pain trying to consume enough to gain a bit more body fat. She had been afraid Harkun would have tried to confiscate her medication, but for some reason he hadn’t bothered.

Albeit Lana was starting to feel quite comfortable in her body, there was still one glaring reminder of the gender she had been born into. At least it was easy to hide, especially now that there was not much left of her testicles after the long hormone therapy. Surgery had to wait until she had completed her Sith training.

She returned to the common room, a simple robe covering her body.

Greck had joined them while Lana had been in the shower. He was sitting on his bunk, meditating.

Bensyn gave her a look.

“I take it we all have turned in for the night.”

“I suppose so.”

The Sith Pureblood just grunted softly and put his tome away.

***

Surprisingly, also Lana found an unexpected friend in Bensyn during her time as a Sith Acolyte. Despite their different backgrounds they had a lot of similarities. They were both practical, hardworking and tranquil personalities. They often ended up sparring together, exchanging thoughts and giving each other advise.

From time to time Harkun gave them grief, but it was nothing compared to the others. The two Sith Purebloods still got slightly better treatment, but more often he also let Lana be.

Lana and Bensyn were often accompanied by Kagan. The attractive young woman was a bit of a mystery, but Lana was quite sure she was romantically interested in Bensyn. It was all fine and good, until one day she got a strange message from the woman to meet her in her quarters. It was highly suspicious, but curiosity got the better of her.

“Kagan, are you here”, Lana asked after knocking and entering the room. It seemed empty, even Lydith and Khinea were not present. She squinted her eyes and turned to leave, when Kagan suddenly materialized in front of her, looking nervous.

What happened with Roth and Cinzize was still fresh in Lana’s mind.

“What are you doing”, she asked in a low voice, her right hand hovering over the hilt of her vibrosword.

Kagan looked her in the eyes.

“Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time now”, she then said and surprised Lana by leaning closer and giving a chaste kiss on her lips.

The blonde didn’t know what to say, so she just stared at the other woman.

“Is this ok”, Kagan asked carefully, then leant in for another kiss. This time Lana responded timidly and even wrapped her hands loosely around the woman’s arms.

She had almost forgotten about one particular detail until she felt a strange, hot pressure in the lower parts of her body. Then suddenly there was a warm hand inside her pants, stroking over the bulge contained by her underwear. She gasped, breaking away from the kiss. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had had an erection, and this woman had coaxed it so easily.

“Can I see it”, Kagan whispered against her ear. Lana’s head was spinning as the hand kept stroking her. Before she had managed to formulate the first syllable that wasn’t a groan, Kagan was already on her knees in front of her, releasing her hard member from her pants.

“K-Kagan…” That was all she managed to utter before blood rushed from her brains again, the woman stroking her bare flesh with a fascinated look on her face.

“Does this feel good”, she asked, looking at Lana with those enchanting blue eyes.

“Y-yes…”

“Good.”

The next thing Lana knew, Kagan had already taken her into her hot, eager mouth. The blonde let out an undignified moan caused by a sudden jolt of pleasure, her hands tangling into the other woman’s long, dark hair.

“I… I think I cannot do this standing”, Lana spluttered after a while, feeling her thighs shake.

Kagan looked at her, withdrawing her mouth, but still holding her hard member in her hand.

“Let’s go to bed.”

“Wait, what… what if Khinea and Lydith come here?”

“They won’t – Lana, please.”

They stumbled onto Kagan’s bed, hastily removing their clothes, then proceeding to kiss and touch each other everywhere.

Lana felt out of her depth, but she couldn’t deny the primitive pull. She had been reading a lot about gender, sex, sexual organs and what it all meant for someone undergoing gender reassignment, but it was all theory. She hadn’t really thought about having sex herself, or even about her own sexual preferences, though she had noticed she felt more sibling-like kinship with the closest men in her life, such as Bensyn. It had taken a lot of time to arrive to this point. The last thing on her mind had been sex when she had been looking in the mirror and seeing a stranger in the reflection.

Now that she thought about it, her hands fondling Kagan’s full breasts, it felt somewhat natural to be touching another woman like this. She had also noticed females regardless of their race even _smelled_ more attractive than their male counterparts.

“Do you have any protection”, Lana asked as Kagan became needier, trying desperately to be smart about this through the fog in her brain. “My sperm should not be nearly as potent as a man’s, but there is still the possibility that I could get you pregnant.”

“I’ll… I’ll deal with it later, promise. For now, just… fuck me”, Kagan breathed.

She felt the woman’s fingers wrap around her once again, guiding her against silky and hot wetness, and she felt her instincts take over.

She wasn’t that thick so she slid easily all the way inside Kagan who moaned loudly at being filled at last. Soon Lana’s hips found a natural rhythm. She was already close from all the earlier attention, so it didn’t take long as her thrusts became quicker and harder. Kagan’s legs wrapped tightly around Lana’s slim waist and despite wanting to at least pull out before coming she ended up releasing all her semen inside the woman squirming beneath her in violent bursts.

They were both still panting as Lana pushed herself off the dark-haired woman. Kagan looked pleased, but Lana felt mostly confused. When she started to get off the bed, Kagan wrapped her hand around the blonde’s wrist, now looking a bit befuddled herself.

“You’re leaving already?”

“I think I should get dressed and go back to my quarters.”

“You didn’t… enjoy it?”

Lana avoided eye contact as she was putting her clothes back on.

“No, it’s not that. It felt good. Ecstatic. Just what it should feel like, I guess. Maybe I am just a bit uncertain what all this means.” She fixed her ponytail and stood up, finally looking at Kagan. “I like you and I think you are attractive and smart. But I am not seeking a romantic relationship.”

“It’s not a problem, I can respect that”, Kagan responded. “But I wouldn’t mind doing this again, if you’re willing.”

“Oh. I will… keep that in mind then.”

Without further conversation Lana left the room.

***

The night on Korriban was pleasantly chill. Perfect for some rest after hours of intense training and sparring with vibroblades.

Lana and Bensyn were sitting on the ground back to back, comfortably leaning against each other, watching the evening sky and Imperial ships coming and going in the distance.

“You’re getting really good at this”, Bensyn said. “I could hardly keep up with you.”

“If only we could practice with lightsabers, but that will not happen anytime soon.”

“I’m glad you’re here. You’re the only worthy training partner to practice swordplay with.”

“Greck is quite good.”

“Not nearly as good as you. He lacks passion, whereas you merely hide it. And I’m not only talking about your Sith training. You didn’t probably know this since it’s not common knowledge, but even before we came here, I have been in a relationship with Kagan.”

Lana’s eyes went wide and she tensed.

“Bensyn, look–”

The Sith Pureblood chuckled.

“Don’t be alarmed. I don’t mind sharing her body with you if that’s what she wants.”

Lana waited a couple more seconds, just to be sure, then let out a small sigh of relief.

“She was quite insistent, I’ll let you know. She still could have just told me that herself”, the blonde scoffed.

“She probably didn’t want to scare you off. I knew from the first day when she laid her eyes on you that she’d want you, and I gave her my permission do as she wishes. Partly because I know you won’t be a problem. I can tell you’re not interested in her. Not like I am. Actually, she would want to see you tonight.”

“Would she now?”

“Indeed. She has her living quarters all to herself, and she has a special request in mind.”

Lana felt a curious spike of excitement travel through her. The whole situation felt slightly surreal, the casual discussion about sleeping with someone else’s partner.

“I hope I will not disappoint her.”

“I’m sure you won’t.”

A thought crossed Lana’s mind.

“Will you… join us?”

She felt the Sith Pureblood shake his head behind her.

“We tried that a couple of times, but it’s hard to get to work. It’s more enjoyable just between two people.”

“You don’t even want to be there to… watch?”

“Would you like me to?”

“Not really. Being who I am I have enough performance issues to begin with. Before what happened with Kagan I might have thought I do not even have a sex drive at all. All that estrogen I’m taking makes… _it_ sometimes difficult to function.”

“In that case I’m glad you’ve got her to inspire you. She could make the dead stand in attention”, Bensyn said and Lana could hear strange sort of pride in his voice.

She closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed. She couldn’t believe she was doing this.

“I think we better get going then. I need to stop by our quarters before… meeting with her.”

They rose from the ground and walked side by side back towards the Academy.

There were rumors about the nature of Lana and Bensyn’s relationship.

Little did they know.

***

Lana knocked on the door. She was a bit nervous and knowing what nervousness did to her libido she ended up being even more nervous.

The door opened and she walked inside, instantly spotting Kagan who was waiting for her on the bed, wearing as little as possible, only partly covering her full breasts.

“Hello, Lana. I’m so glad you came; or should I say, glad that you will come?”

Kagan’s eyes twinkled at her own pun and the blonde couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

“Hello, Kagan. Bensyn said that you have a _special request_.”

The dark-haired beauty smiled.

“Indeed. Let’s get those clothes off first”, she said and got up from the bed.

Lana let the woman help undress her. She had showered and put on more simple robes after a long day in training gear, so it didn’t take long to shed everything she had on her. Kagan immediately drew their bodies together as they were standing by the bed, Lana only an inch taller, kissing her passionately.

From around the other woman Kagan slipped her hands in between them, fondling Lana’s breasts. The blonde moaned into Kagan’s mouth. After a while one of those hands found her flaccid member, gently stroking it and immediately drawing some more blood down there. At the same time Lana’s fingers found Kagan’s clit and already wet entrance.

“I am sorry”, Lana mumbled between the kisses, “I’m not having the best day. It is just the hormones, not you, but it might take some effort to get it fully erect.”

“Man or woman, I’ve yet to see a cock I can’t get hard”, Kagan boasted playfully and before Lana knew it, the woman had pushed her on the bed and crawled between her legs.

“Since you said last time you didn’t like standing during this”, Kagan said, winking, and was already greedily sucking and stroking her semi-erect penis.

Lana couldn’t help whimpering in pleasure. It felt so good. But she wanted Kagan to enjoy as well.

“I love what you are doing, but let me do that to you”, she said.

“I actually quite enjoy this, but luckily I have the perfect solution on my mind.”

Kagan climbed on top of Lana so that they could pleasure each other. Lana supposed the other woman had the advantage to her side due to her experience, because she found it distracting to focus on what she was doing as she felt all the blood in her body gravitating towards her lower parts. She still did her best to concentrate on the inviting and clean-shaven source of heat and wetness. It was an interesting idea that she might have organs similar to these herself, one day. How much sensitivity would she retain? How would this feel performed on her? The smooth, slick flesh felt alluring on her tongue and lips.

“I’d say you couldn’t get much harder than this”, Kagan said then, pleased with herself.

“Not for long though, if you keep doing that”, Lana grunted. “What did you have in mind?”

Kagan moved herself so that she could look Lana in the eyes, lounging next to her.

“Bensyn is a good lover. And he’s… thick. And I love it. I love _him_. But…”

Thoughts began stirring in Lana’s mind. She pushed aside the ones inducing explicit mental images about her Pureblood friend.

“For some time I have been having these fantasies about… you know, but I’m worried he’s a bit too big for a first-timer. It’s a… sensitive place, after all and I have no intention of injuring myself.”

It was weird to see Kagan blushing about anything.

“You want me to… have anal intercourse with you?”

“If you’d be willing”, Kagan said, sounding more than hopeful, eyes brightening.

“This is a bit unexpected, but since you apparently have been thinking about this a lot, I guess we can try at least.”

Kagan laughed nervously. “Wow, I was so right to ask you. If you were a guy, I bet you’d already be pounding me.”

Lana smiled wryly. “I guess many a man would consider that kind of a suggestion a dream come true. So… how do you want to do this?”

“I’d… rather be facing you.”

“Okay. And lubrication?”

“I think you’ll find plenty of that closer than you think”, Kagan said, winking.

“Ironically, now that impregnation is not that topical I actually have protection with me. I think I’m going to use it anyway, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, of course. I can help you with that”, Kagan eagerly volunteered.

The woman clearly wasn’t kidding when she had confessed she liked performing oral sex. Soon Lana was hard again and, having learnt from the first time, wearing a condom that – according to the package – was supposed to feel like second skin.

Kagan was lying on her back as Lana crawled over her. She kissed her, then moved a bit lower, sucking and kissing the woman’s breasts and nipples. She reached down with her hand, pushing her fingers inside Kagan. After a few thrusts she scooped out a good amount of eggy wetness she then proceeded to spread on her member, more slickness dripping down from the woman’s slit, coating the prize below.

“Are you ready”, Lana asked huskily.

“Yes. Go on, Lana”, Kagan urged, nervousness in her voice mixing with lust.

The blonde guided her member against the tight entrance, biting her lip as she slowly started to push the head in. Judging from how hard she still was, she was apparently more interested in this prospect than she had initially thought she’d be.

It was so tight. She wondered if she should pull back, when the head suddenly slipped past the tight ring of muscles, Kagan gasping beneath her.

“A-are you okay”, Lana asked immediately, even as she already felt her brain fogging again. The pressure around her erection felt so wonderful.

“Y-yes, I’m… I’m more than okay, ohh stars”, Kagan moaned under her. “Now that you’re in that feels… that feels really good.”

Minding her movements, Lana pushed slowly deeper, then backwards. She miscalculated how far back she could slide, and the tight muscles pushed her out. Kagan whimpered needily. Having found more courage Lana pushed herself back in with more confidence. The moaning and squirming of the woman beneath her confirmed she was apparently doing something right.

“Oh, Lana… please, just fuck me”, Kagan pleaded, eyes closed and face flushed. She had turned her head to the side and her hands were gripping the sheets. “Fuck my ass.”

Lana did as she was told, not that she needed much more encouragement. She tried to keep a steady rhythm at first. The thing that worried her the most was for how long she could keep doing this. The erotic sounds slipping from Kagan’s lips didn’t exactly help.

At some point she noticed the dark-haired woman had brought one of her hands between them to touch herself while being penetrated.

“Kagan… I can’t… hold it in… much longer”, Lana finally said between groans, biting her lip.

“There’s no need to, just come”, Kagan answered her breathlessly.

Lana thrusted harder against the other woman until her hips suddenly jerked and she came inside her, jets of sperm filling the condom she was wearing. Judging by the sounds beneath her, Kagan came short after.

The blonde had to collect her bearings for a while as the aftershocks of the powerful orgasm ran through her. She felt her arms shake as she pushed herself up, pulling out of the other woman. She removed the condom, not entirely sure what to do with it other than tying the other end to make sure the sperm wasn’t going to spill out.

Kagan noticed her struggle.

“Oh, if you could just dump that in the trash bin in the bathroom; I’ll get rid of it later.”

Lana did as she suggested and returned after having washed her hands while at it. She put a hand on Kagan’s thigh as she was lying on the bed with a smile on her face, eyes closed.

“So. Was it everything you were hoping for?”

“It was even better”, Kagan said, still smiling. “Thank you, Lana.”

Lana snorted. “I believe it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, but… you’re welcome. I will head back to my quarters. A shower and some sleep sound good right now.”

“Of course. See you at Force training tomorrow.”

Lana wondered briefly what was bothering her as she was walking back to her quarters. Before she opened the door to their common room she realized she was still smiling and thinking of Kagan. She sighed. She needed to get rid of those feelings before they even manifested themselves. She had absolutely no reason to have a crush on Bensyn’s partner. What they had was purely sexual and that was what they all had agreed on. Satisfied with her reasoning, Lana entered the room.

Bensyn was there, smirking.

“How did it go?”

“I will let her tell you. I’m sure you get a more detailed version from her than you would get out of me.”

“Oh, I can count on it.”

***

Lana, Bensyn and Kagan were trapped in Tulak Hord’s tomb, their final trial as acolytes gone horribly wrong. They had left Greck’s body behind, shredded apart by k’lor’slugs. Khinea had died earlier as she had accidentally activated an old trap. Lydith didn’t even make it to the trial – she had been found dead some weeks ago, brutal bruises all over her body. They all believed it was Harkun’s doing.

If that wasn’t enough, Kagan had been injured during their fight with the k’lor’slugs. There was a long gash across her head that didn’t look healthy. It appeared she might have blood poisoning and they needed to get her out of the tomb as soon as possible. Earlier they had met with a crazed Zabrak acolyte in the tunnels that Lana had let go once they had pacified her. Bensyn didn’t think letting her live had been a wise choice, and also Lana had started to second guess her own decision. She hoped they didn’t run into her again.

Finally they also had some luck, for against all hope they actually managed to find the cursed helm Harkun had sent them after. Now they just needed to get out as soon as possible.

“Lana, I… need to tell you something”, Bensyn said, approaching the blonde who was currently out of Kagan’s earshot. They were preparing to leave the tomb for good, having once more cleaned Kagan’s wounds with the little supplies they had left.

“What is it?”

“I know she hasn’t told you, but… Kagan’s pregnant.”

Lana whipped her head around to look at Bensyn with wide eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Yes. And that’s not all, for… I believe the baby is yours.”

“W-what?” Lana ran a hand over her hair. “But… but we have been using contraceptives.”

“I believe it was the very first time.”

“But that was half a year ago already! Why haven’t I noticed anything?”

Bensyn shrugged helplessly. “Apparently it’s the position in the womb. It’s a good thing too, for if Harkun had noticed…”

“Yes, I get it.”

Lana felt distracted and awful.

“Why did you choose to carry on with the pregnancy, if you believe it’s my child?”

“To be honest… because I can’t impregnate her myself. I’m infertile. If anything, we’re happy that it’s you who made this possible. The training is over soon and things will change for the better. We welcome the child.”

“I see.” Lana’s head was still spinning, but a strange need to ensure Kagan’s survival became even more insistent in her head. She guessed she was just that primitive after all. “We need to get going immediately.”

Bensyn nodded.

***

Kagan kept getting worse. Luckily Bensyn had the strength to carry the slender woman so they could keep searching for a way out. Lana walked with her vibrosword drawn, Tulak Hord’s helm secured on her hip.

She heard some noise and cursed herself. That damned crazed Zabrak was back, bloodshot eyes staring at the helm.

“The prize!”

Lana readied herself to cut the Zabrak down, but was taken by surprise as she instead opted to charge past the blonde to attack easier prey first, dagger flailing dangerously in her skeletal hand. It all happened so quick.

If she would get to them, she’d kill Kagan for sure.

“No, you don’t”, Lana shouted angrily as the mad Acolyte was about to land a wild hit on the woman in Bensyn’s arms. The mother of her child. The Zabrak was taken by a surprise as the very next moment she was Force Pulled straight onto Lana’s vibrosword, the blade cutting her head clean off.

Bensyn stared at her, mouth a little agape. “Nice work, Lana.”

“We’re all in this together, Bensyn.”

The three of them carried on for a while, but soon Lana heard strange strangling sounds from behind her.

They stopped and Bensyn laid Kagan on the ground, putting his backpack under her head. She was deathly pale and her breathing was erratic. Bensyn and Lana glanced at each other.

“This doesn’t look good”, the Sith Pureblood said quietly. Kagan wasn’t reactive anymore, and her body was spasming. “It seems her system is going into shock from the blood poisoning.”

Lana had never seen Bensyn look so utterly defeated and small. She wondered briefly why it was hard to see, but then realized it was because tears had filled her eyes.

“We are not healers and we’re still far away from any who are. I think… this is it”, Bensyn concluded, his voice breaking a little.

Lana stared at Kagan, tears running down her face. She had never felt so helpless before. Her mind was desperately trying to grasp at anything she could do, but for all her knowledge about the Force she was no Jedi – she couldn’t use any aspect of it to heal or preserve, she could only kill and harm.

Then she suddenly realized what she should so. It was the only option; otherwise they’d lose them both. Lana felt sick to her stomach, but she steeled herself. She was Sith, after all. She could make these choices.

“What are you doing”, asked Bensyn as he suddenly noticed Lana was channeling the Force, red mist gathering around her.

“I’m doing the only thing I can to save Kagan”, Lana answered, eyes closed and arms spread, as she was attuning her connection to the Force. There were tears streaking her face, even as she seemed calm, carefully starting to focus the power she had called upon into Kagan.

“Lana?”

“I’m trading our child’s life for hers.”

Bensyn looked shocked.

“But–“

“Bensyn, listen to me”, Lana said sternly, cutting him off. “For what I can do a sacrifice is required. A life for a life. Either this works or we lose them both.”

The Sith Pureblood grimaced and fell silent, observing what was happening. A tether not unlike electric current, but almost bloodred in color, travelled between the women.

Lana ground her teeth together. The pain inside of her grew until it was excruciating. She didn’t expect she would actually physically feel her child and how their life force was exchanged for a dying Kagan.

There was a low rumble. A warped cry. Then silence.

“Kagan? Kagan!” Bensyn was next to his beloved in an instant, holding her. Color had returned on her skin, the gash on her head was but a neat scar and she slowly opened her eyes, hazy and disoriented.

“Bensyn?”

The Sith Pureblood embraced the human woman tightly, choking back a sob.

“Bensyn? What has happened?”

Kagan tried to focus, then she saw her blonde lover over Bensyn’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong with Lana?”

Bensyn released his hold on Kagan, looking despondent. He walked over to Lana. She was on her knees, hands covering her face while she was crying. The Sith Pureblood had never seen her like this and didn’t know what to do. The human was always so composed and calm.

“Lana…”

“B-Bensyn”, said Lana between the sobs.

The Pureblood sighed heavily.

“I know, Lana. I’m so s–”

“N-no, listen…”

The blonde wiped her tears away with her forearm and looked Bensyn in the eye. Her eyes were no longer green but amber, but she was smiling through her tears.

“Inside there… there were two heartbeats.”

The Pureblood could just stare at his friend.

“Do you mean…”

“Y-yes.”

Bensyn’s lip quivered and he embraced Lana tightly.

“Time to leave this place for good.”

***

Lana was smiling as she was sitting in the cantina of the Imperial Fleet. She had a healthy-looking soft drink on the table and she was looking somewhere in the distance when she heard familiar voices approaching her.

“Oh here you are!”

“It’s so good to see you again.”

“Aunt Lana!”

A young girl with brown, braided hair and green eyes jumped onto Lana’s lap, hugging her and getting hugs in return.

“Leah! Happy birthday! Have you been a good girl?”

They spent a while talking excitedly about Leah’s sword training and she showed off some pictures of her new practice sword.

“Come with daddy”, said Bensyn after a while, “let’s get something to eat”. He winked at Lana and Kagan as he took the girl by the hand and led them to order some lunch.

“I can’t believe it’s her 10th birthday already”, Lana said, looking after Leah and Bensyn. “She just gets more charming every time I see her”.

Kagan smiled wryly and put her hand on Lana’s arm. “With such a good groundwork how could she not?”

Since their Academy days Lana had grown her hair out, keeping it at shoulder-length. She was also using make-up now, black eyeliner highlighting her sharp amber eyes.

Lana moved her arm a little so that she could take Kagan by the hand.

“I have to admit that even if it was not our initial intention to conceive an offspring, I’m… really glad that we did. Now that I can’t have biological children anymore it’s good to know that at least Leah is out there, safe with you two.”

“Yes. She’s so precious to Bensyn, too, like she was his own. We have so much to thank you for.”

“Don’t start with that again”, Lana said, shaking her head. “We’re more than even.”

Bensyn and Leah returned to the table with drinks and some sort of wraps for everyone. Soon after a droid waiter arrived by the table as well with a bowl on a tray he then proceeded to put in front of a surprised looking Lana.

“And here’s your salad, madam, with extra serving of plant-based protein, no sauce and minimal amount of sodium chloride”, declared the droid and went back to his other duties.

Lana exchanged a look with Bensyn who just flashed her a smile and shrugged his shoulders. The blonde nodded at him appreciatively.

“So”, said Bensyn as they were eating, “I heard there was quite a ruckus at Yavin 4.”

“Yes. There’s not much I can say about it, of course, but it really was something to see the Sith and the Jedi working together for once. Oh, and I got a promotion. I’m to be the new head of the Sith Intelligence.”

Bensyn chuckled at that.

“Only you could act so casual about being appointed to such a position. Congratulations.”

Kagan had been quiet for a while, observing Lana and looking thoughtful.

“Are you sure you don’t have any… other news for us?”

“Wh-what do you mean”, Lana asked, but Kagan immediately noticed her slight slip.

“I knew it”, Kagan said, grinning. “A man? A woman?”

The blonde Sith sighed.

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you. And I’m still not sure if anything can really even happen between the two of us. It’s… difficult.”

“So, it’s a woman?”

Lana considered the question for a moment, and Leah joined in happily as well.

“Does Aunt Lana have a girlfriend?”

Lana blushed ever so slightly, and now all the eyes on the table were on her.

“Hey hey, go easy on me, okay? She’s a woman alright! The thing is… apart from me, apparently, she also fancies white, form-fitting robes and blue lightsabers.”

Kagan and Bensyn were stunned to silence, but luckily Leah felt helpful enough to fill in for them.

“Is your girlfriend a Jedi Knight? Like the Hero of Tython?”

Lana’s blush deepened as she tried to casually drink a little water.

“Well, she’s not really my girlfriend, but… we’ll have to see what happens.”

Bensyn recovered first.

“The Hero of Tython, huh? You sure do not aim low. I can see how that can prove to be problematic, though.”

“I have seen her on the news many times. She’s really pretty”, Leah mused and carried on finishing her wrap.

“Oh wow”, said Kagan at last, “I really wasn’t expecting that. Then again, I don’t even know why I’m so surprised. It’s you, after all, and you have surprised me all over again during the time I’ve known you. How can it be that you are the most stable and sensible person I know and still nothing conventional ever happens around you?”

Lana just shrugged helplessly, a little smile on her lips.

“It was never meant to be easy, was it?”


End file.
